“All of us at anxietycentre.com have experienced debilitating anxiety. But we’ve also overcome
it and returned to normal and lasting health. Because we know the hardship anxiety unwellness can cause,
we are committed to helping others, with over 27 years of service.” - Jim Folk, President, anxietycentre.com

Dizziness, lightheaded, feeling dizzy, feeling like you might pass out, head feels like it is swimming or spinning, you feel off balance, you feel unsteady anxiety symptom

Anxiety dizziness symptom description:

You feel (or suddenly feel) dizzy, lightheaded, faint, off balance, unsteady, that you might faint or pass out, or that you might fall over. It might also feel as though you are walking on a boat on water, that the floor beneath you feels like it is moving up and down or side to side, that you feel your legs may not support you, that you are unsteady, or that it’s hard to keep your balance.

You might also have difficulty placing your feet because your perception of the ground or floor may seem wrong or incorrect. In some cases, it may seem that even though you are standing on a firm floor, the floor may be vibrating or moving, the room may appear to be moving or rocking, or the surroundings around you seem to be moving, shaking, rocking, or vibrating.

While you haven't passed out yet, you think you might. The prospect may frighten you. You may also think, "What if I pass out, what will everyone think of me?" The thought of passing out frightens you, which can cause more symptoms and fear.

Anxiety dizziness can also be experienced as a dizzy/lightheaded 'spell,' that is like having a sudden feeling of being dizzy/lightheaded that then disappears.

Anxiety dizziness and/or 'spells' can come and go suddenly, come and linger, or come and remain for some time. This symptom and/or 'spells' might occur rarely, frequently, or persistently.

Anxiety dizziness can also be characterized as having 'episodes' of dizziness/lightheadedness/feeling like you are going to pass out that come and go, or come and eventually ease off, even if only slightly. Even people who experience persistent dizziness/lightheadedness/feeling like you are going to pass out notice that they experience waves (episodes) of increases and decreases of this symptom.

Those who experience anxiety dizziness persistently still can notice increases and decreases in severity associated with 'waves' or 'episodes' of intensity. Sometimes the intensity can increase for an extended period of time, such as days before the intensity decreases again.

Some people experience episodes of anxiety dizziness in association with an increase and decrease in their anxiety and stress (this symptom’s intensity and severity increases and decreases with the intensity of their anxiety and stress), whereas others experience persistent dizziness regardless of an increase or decrease in anxiety and stress.

All variations and combinations of the above are common.

Anxiety dizziness causes

Because there are many medical conditions that can cause anxiety-like sensations and symptoms, we recommend that you discuss this symptom with your doctor. If your doctor concludes that this symptom is solely stress related (including the stress that being anxious can cause), you can be assured that there isn’t another medical condition causing it. Generally, most doctors can easily tell the difference between stress and anxiety caused sensations and symptoms from those caused by other medical reasons.

If you are uncertain about your doctor’s diagnosis, however, you may want to seek a second and even third opinion. But if all three opinions concur, you can feel confident that stress, including anxiety-caused stress, is the cause of this symptom and not some other medical or biological problem.

Causes relating to anxiety include:

Hyper- and hypoventilation - taking in too much or too little oxygen. Hyper and hypoventilation can change the CO2 levels in the blood, which can cause a myriad of anxiety-like symptoms, such as dizziness.

An active stress response - behaving in an apprehensive manner activates the stress response. The stress response secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream where they bring about specific physiological, psychological, and emotional changes that enhance the body’s ability to deal with a threat - to either fight with or flee from it - which is the reason the stress response is often referred to as the fight or flight response.

Some of the stress response changes cause the body to shunt blood to body parts vital for survival and away from those that aren’t. These changes also cause the heart rate and respiration to increase. And many more. These changes alone can cause a person to feel ‘dizzy’ and lightheaded.

Persistently elevated stress - stress impacts the body’s nervous system. Too much stress can cause the nervous system to act in odd ways, which can affect our sense of balance. If you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, this stress could be the cause of your dizzy feeling.

Fatigue: Behaving in an overly apprehensive manner stresses the body, and a body that’s under sustained stress can become overworked and tired. Dizziness commonly occurs when we’re over tired.

For more detailed information about anxiety-caused dizziness, you may want to join our Recovery Support area. It contains a wealth of detailed information about dizziness, including how to overcome persistent dizziness.

How to eliminate anxiety dizziness

If your dizziness is caused by hyper or hypoventilation, adopting a natural breathing style – relaxed, slower, and deeper – will correct the CO2 levels, which will eliminate ventilation caused dizziness.

If your dizziness is caused by an active stress response, calming yourself down will bring an end to the stress response and its changes. As your body recovers, your body’s functioning will return to normal and your dizziness should diminish.

If your dizziness is caused by persistently elevated stress, reducing your stress and giving your body ample time to recover should eliminate this symptom. Keep in mind, however, that it can take a long time for the body to recover from persistently elevated stress.

If your dizziness is caused by fatigue, increasing your rest and giving your body time to build up its energy will eliminate fatigue-caused dizziness.

Play the clip below for Jim Folk's commentary about the dizziness anxiety symptoms. Jim Folk is the president of anxietycentre.com.

Dizziness is a common symptom of elevated stress, including the stress anxiety can cause. Jim Folk experienced profound dizziness during his 12 year struggle with anxiety disorder.

For a more detailed explanation about all anxiety symptoms, why symptoms can persist long after the stress response has ended, common barriers to recovery and symptom elimination, and more recovery strategies and tips, we have many chapters that address this information in the Recovery Support area of our website.

The combination of good self-help information and working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist, coach, or counselor is the most effective way to overcome anxiety and its many symptoms. Until the core causes of anxiety are addressed - we call these core causes the underlying factors of anxiety - a struggle with anxiety unwellness can return again and again. Dealing with the underlying factors of anxiety is the best way to eliminate problematic anxiety and its symptoms once and for all.